The Fantasy of Abundant Life?

Really? I suppose its difficult for me to fathom that there are actual born again believers that say, text, or whatever means of communicating, that the life Jesus came to give is just a fantasy. So then what is that person's faith for? Is it just to have salvation from God's wrath? If one believes the salvation aspect of Christianity, why not embrace all of the benefits of the faith? What do you have to lose or don't you understand what abundant life is?

I have read articles and comments about how Christians are so against those "Prosperity Preachers", as they have been called. Yet, they don't wait to listen to what is being preached (James 1:19 KJV). What harm would it cause just to listen to see if what is being ministered is the truth or not? Not all preachers ministering prosperity are trying to take from the congregants, or speaking of money, or takes their role as a minister so lightly. Don't pile them all in one bunch. When you do, you place boundaries around God keeping Him from blessing you. Sounds impossible, continue reading.

Before man disobeyed God in eating from the tree of good and evil, man had all he needed. A place to lay his head, a vision, something to do, and everything he would need to sustain his life was already provided. All he had to do was be obedient to God. As man was doing what he was called to do, God looked at all He created and said, "it is not good for man to be alone." This one statement said to me that God has every intention for man to live a life that is full. He gave him everything! When God formed woman from the rib of Adam for him to have help, Adam immediately made her his wife. For Adam, abundance was completed.

When the earth was cursed, it was more then what most of us know about. The earth became hard. It needed to be worked to be softened in order for it to be good again to receive good seed and have good product from it. To do that would be HARD work (Genesis 3:17-19 KJV). Keeping with the analogy of seed and ground, woman was punished for being beguiled by the serpent. She was told that baring children would be in sorrow (Genesis 3:16 KJV). So when man implanted seed into her to have children, once it was time for the harvest of that seed, she would go through pain. It would be HARD for her to deliver children. Mankind also became hard as generations were born into the world. Just as the earth had to be toiled, so did the heart of man in order for him to receive the instruction from God (Genesis 8:21 KJV). We see the description of the heart of man in the Old Testament (O.T.) over and over again (Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 19:21, Ecclesiastes 8:5 KJV).

God instructed for man to make a decision for him to have some of the remnants left of having a good life. He tells man to choose. He tells man what has been placed before him and in order for man to have those best parts, he needs to choose life. This one decision is what answers all decisions in life. Some men still think life offers so many choices, but all things as permissible as they are, are not beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23 AMP). So when we choose from all of those things, it must be with the same instruction. Which of those things will add LIFE to what you already have? To answer this question would require for you to do the very thing you have heard for years: acknowledge Him in ALL your ways and He will direct your path (Proverbs 3:6 AMP).

Why would a god that loves you unconditionally, give you a means to have a better life, provide all that you need to sustain that life, then wish you hardship and anguish? He wouldn't....to believe otherwise would mean you are in error and have answered why nothing has been going your way (Hebrews 12:8-10 AMP). God defines good. You cannot have anything good without Him. There is no such thing as a good family, good relationships, a good business, a good job, a good spouse, good health, a good income, a good life without God. You have nothing if you do not have God. You are unequivocally fooling yourself otherwise.

I suppose those that have been fooling themselves have also decided to justify why their life is the way it is by stating that we must take the good with the bad. This makes no sense when God has told us to choose. LIFE is good. Death is bad (Proverbs 12:28 KJV). Where is it in the Word that we must take the good with the bad? I recall Job said such a thing when he was under fire from doing what was not pleasing in the sight of God (Job 2:10 AMP). When he did these things, God had a conversation with the devil. Why? Because what Job did came from fear. God did not give him this spirit, nor did God give him the idea to make atonement for his children's sins which were never confessed to him. Because of these acts, that which he feared came upon him (Job 3:25 KJV). Actually that and then some. Why so much more then he feared? Because the devil does the job God gave him to do: steal, kill, and destroy. God tells us all not to give place to the devil. This is a good directive.

The need for a Messiah came after Adam caused for the land to be cursed. You will notice, the life of man was being depleted from living for over 900 years to 120. For this reason, God gave again. One of the most popular verses of the bible is John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (KJV). If you don't already know, to perish is bad. Therefore, believing (synonymous with faith) that Jesus is the Son of God will give you not only the life discussed from the O.T. but everlasting life. Here's a question, would God have you living an everlasting life in turmoil and pain? Remember, He is good. Turmoil and pain is bad.

I know as you are reading this, it might sound elemental or pedantic, but that is not why I am writing it in the manner. Understand, there are all different levels of maturity reading this entry. The things I have read from believers saying abundant life isn't real are from those who have no understanding of who God is and why He does what He does. He defines good and love. He gave because He is good and He is love. He wishes above ALL things that you be and health and prosper even as your soul prospers (3 John 1:2 KJV). To believe or write that abundant life is a fantasy must be from one who has no knowledge. It is written, My people perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6 KJV). Again, to perish is bad. God is good. What don't you understand?  

Process of Elimination 2

 I use to be afraid of reading certain scriptures in the bible and not because of that good kind of fear either. I was literally afraid to read any other verses where God was angry, where it stated that He regretted anything, and where punishing those who refuse to adhere what is good and right (Ephesians 5:1-12 AMP). I don't call it the good fear because it kept me from reading the Word which adds life to my life. So I had to get over it a realize it was a ploy from the enemy who would prefer that I not live. If I listen to the sort of thinking not to read what the bible clearly tells me what to do, then I would be repeating what Eve did at the tree of good and evil, wouldn't I?

So I swallowed and rebuked those feelings and got through the verses. I could finally understand God's anger with a people He created and had as much trust in Him as they did for a rock to fly. That would tick me off as well. In fact, most parents do go through that sort of thing when their children become teenagers and think they know it all and should be given more responsibility when they just learned how to wipe their hip without leaving skid marks. I use the analogy with my children all of the time: if I tell you not to touch the stove and I show you all of the marks from when I tried to touch it myself... don't touch the stove! I am not trying to keep you from fun. I am trying to keep you from getting hurt or killing yourself! Would that our heavenly Father, the epitome of good, even more so would have the best for you? So not adhere to the instruction? We can't all be teenagers (1 Corinthians 13:11 KJV)!

Then there is the eliminating part. How can we keep from being left behind or cut off from the vine, or from being considered as tare rather then wheat? The Word tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6 KJV); therefore, this has to be the key to staying within the body of Christ, right? But there is more... faith in what? Is it more then believing that there is one higher then us? Is it more then believing that Jesus is the Son of God? Is it more then believing to do good to others? Is it more then treating people the way you like to be treated? It has to be because people aren't being raised in the admonition of the Lord like they once were. Some people don't know what is right unless it is taught to them. It is what Paul wrote in biblical times, how much more so is it now (Romans 7:11-23 AMP)?

I was in a Human Ecology class where a nun was teaching that a thief is a thief because he has changed his moral code in believing what is wrong is right. She even used the scripture for the class to believe everywhere in the bible that reads thief it means the change of the norm in the minds of people. I wasn't going to say anything but there was something that just didn't seem right with her way of thinking. Fine, if you don't believe that there is a Spirit world but to think that a thief is the way he is because he doesn't know what right is, is just odd. Why would he steal at night? Why does he look over his back? Why can't he trust anyone or anything including himself? If the thief believed that what he was doing is right, he would have no fear of the police. He would be confused as to why the woman on the street doesn't just give him her purse as opposed to him snatching it from her. He would knock on the door of the house he was burglarizing instead of sneaking in the window. The nun said nothing at my rebuttal of her lesson and just moved onto something else. I wondered if the nun truly believed what she was teaching why wouldn't she try to convince me otherwise?

It is what I believe the farmer meant when he told his helper that even though there were tares planted with the wheat, they might look the same for a little while but when it comes time to reap the harvest, you will be able to clearly see what is the wheat and what is the tare. The tare will be bundled together and be disposed of. It has no purpose. The tare is but a source of aggravation and if not dealt with can choke the wheat from bringing forth a full harvest. The harvest comes after the crop reaches maturity. How can we become more mature in Christ if our source of entertainment is partially nude music videos or soft pornographic movies? How can we maintain a renewed mind when the people we associate ourselves with are the same friends we had before we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior? How can we receive all that He has for us when we would rather believe a bad report from the doctor, dentist, FDA, news cast, lawyer, or a textbook then what Jesus said? If this is true, it is as if the tares grew up and choked the Word from you. How can the farmer recognize you as wheat when you look just like a tare?

In my travels, there are many highways that aren't maintained as well as they could be. Some use to be farmlands and there are remnants of the wild seed still trying to grow through and develop a harvest. Along the edges of the highway, there were these plants that blew in the breeze looking just like wheat. But when I looked closer to the actual farm that was being tended, the wheat was bent low and these other plants were covering over them. The wheat was golden and the other longer plants were gray-ish mauve. They hovered keeping the sun from them so they would never be strengthened to be any larger then they are. It was just about time for harvest. If I can tell which was which without any training, the farmer can even more so. It was just interesting to see how close some of the harvest came to its demise.

Just like the prodigal son, God gives us every opportunity to get it right. We have a book, churches all over to teach, we can even pray and be led to what it is we need to do all of which means nothing without the confession of Jesus as being Lord. How hard would it be just to believe to keep from the inevitable? If I don't know from what I write, life goes on. If you refuse to believe, its all over!